Vanilla Black

4.4

1562 Reviews

£41 and over

Vegetarian / Vegan

Vegetarian-friendly
Innovative
Vegan-friendly

We decided to open our own vegetarian restaurant back in 2004. We set some standards for the food: no dish would rely on pasta, meat substitutes or heavy spicing.
We would create menus of unusual combinations and flavours which challenged the norms.

At the restaurant we serve a twist on traditional English and French classical dishes, reinvented as vegetarian food.
The fact that it is vegetarian is not the point; in fact it's neither here nor there. The dishes we create here are forward thinking, our food is challenging. It's different. Smashing stereotypes.
You don't even have to be vegetarian.

'Apologies in advance, no pasta bake or vegetable curry.'
We didn't think we would have to put that warning on our website, but we did.

Thank you for visiting Vanilla Black and we hope you enjoy dining with us.

Andrew, Donna and the team

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Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
£41 and over
Cuisines
Vegetarian / Vegan
Hours of Operation
Mon–Sat 12:00 pm–2:30 pm Mon–Sat 6:00 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
020 7242 2622
Website
http://vanillablack.co.uk/
Payment Options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Smart Casual
Executive Chef
Andrew Dargue

Location
17- 18 Tooks Court, London, EC4A 1LB
Area
Chancery Lane
Parking details
There are meters in nearby streets but please check as availability is limited.
Public transit
Nearest tube station is Chancery Lane. Take exit 3 heading east, go past McDonalds and take the first turn on your right. Walk to the end of Furnival Street and turn right. Next right is Tooks Court.
Additional
Beer, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Chilled Carrot Soup, Passionfruit and Dill Oil
Goat's Curd and Pumpernickel
Sweet Potato and Puy Lentil 'Dhal'*
Crispy Lentils and Curry Oil
Iced and Charred Avocado with Olive Crumb
Olive Juice, Yogurt and Sumac
Smokey Aubergine, Flatbread and Green Harissa*
Labneh, Aged Garlic and Spiced Pistachio
Homemade Lemon Ricotta and Salted Mandarin
Leeks and Buckwheat
Cucumber, Sticky Rice and Ginger Purée*
Pickled Cucumber Ketchup and Seaweed

Mains

Fried Porridge, Wild Garlic and Broad Beans*
Raw Garlic Almond Milk, Chicory and Aged Garlic
Fried Shiitake, Pine Nut Purée and Crispy Cous Cous*
Marsala, Lemongrass Pickled Enoki and Pine Salt
Cauliflower Dumplings, Parsley and Walnut Crumb
Pickled Raisins and Roasted Cauliflower
Baked High Cross and Charred Spring Onions
Roasted Onion Purée, Sherry Vinegar and Button Onions
Tomato Shortbread, Sheep's Milk and Broccoli
Gem Lettuce and Egg Yolk
Smoked Egg, Black Sesame and Fried Gram Flour*
Peppercorn Crisp and Radish

What 1,562 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

4.4

4.4 based on all time ratings

4.4Food
4.5Service
4.2Ambience
3.9Value

Noise • Moderate

1,562 Reviews

PC
PhilipC
Yorkshire
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on 14 March 2020
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Lovely evening, great food, down to earth staff, great atmosphere.
Is this helpful?
F
Florence
Oxford
1 review
vip
5.0
1 review
Dined on 13 March 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
*Such* delicious food and a really wonderful atmosphere - considering we had 5 'tasting' courses, all of which were also very decently sized, the value is great as well. Will definitely be back, thank you so so much !
Is this helpful?
DJ
DavidJ
London
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 12 March 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Fabulous. A must-visit for anyone who appreciates superb food.
Is this helpful?
B
Bigwally
London
4 reviews
1.0
4 reviews
Dined on 7 March 2020
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 4
A hugely disappointing meal - much of it bordering, literally, on inedibel. Mad combinations of seemingly disperate and utterly mismatched elements. I got the feeling they were trying to go for a 'Heston Blumenthal' style inventiveness, but this resulted in unhinged dishes of tasteless strangeness! The wine flight was very average too.
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
Angus
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on 7 March 2020
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
A nice restaurant. The staff are very friendly and the food was nice.
Is this helpful?
t
tanyac
London
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 7 March 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent food from start to finish. It was a birthday celebration and was worth it
Is this helpful?
S
Sadiemac
N. Ireland
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on 7 March 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great vegetarian food done differently, really impressed
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
London
22 reviews
vip
4.0
22 reviews
Dined on 7 March 2020
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Birthday meal out. Food ok, very dry, not a great choice on the menu. Not much on the plate, left disappointed.
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H
Harry
London
70 reviews
4.0
70 reviews
Dined on 5 March 2020
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 2
Great food, good service, was a bit quiet over the lunchtime. But not complaints really.
Is this helpful?
j
jg61
London
3 reviews
3.0
3 reviews
Dined on 29 February 2020
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Some of the food was delicious tomato and basil mayo and a baby fennel dish. All on the ‘adventurous’ side and some downright weird eg cep mushroom fudge and a claggy egg yolk. Staff were friendly but hard to hear what they were saying because of the noise level.
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FAQs

Vanilla Black is rated 4.4 stars by 1562 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?

Claim this listing

17- 18 Tooks Court, London, EC4A 1LB

Additional information

Area
Chancery Lane
Hours of Operation
Mon–Sat 12:00 pm–2:30 pm Mon–Sat 6:00 pm–10:00 pm
Price
£41 and over
Cuisines
Vegetarian / Vegan
Dining style
Casual Elegant
Dress code
Smart Casual
Parking details
There are meters in nearby streets but please check as availability is limited.
Public transit
Nearest tube station is Chancery Lane. Take exit 3 heading east, go past McDonalds and take the first turn on your right. Walk to the end of Furnival Street and turn right. Next right is Tooks Court.
Payment Options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Executive Chef
Andrew Dargue
Additional
Beer, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://vanillablack.co.uk/
Phone number
020 7242 2622

Vanilla Black

Not available on OpenTable

There’s more to explore

Additional information

Menu

Starters

Chilled Carrot Soup, Passionfruit and Dill Oil

Sweet Potato and Puy Lentil 'Dhal'*

Iced and Charred Avocado with Olive Crumb

Smokey Aubergine, Flatbread and Green Harissa*

Homemade Lemon Ricotta and Salted Mandarin

Cucumber, Sticky Rice and Ginger Purée*

Mains

Fried Porridge, Wild Garlic and Broad Beans*

Fried Shiitake, Pine Nut Purée and Crispy Cous Cous*

Cauliflower Dumplings, Parsley and Walnut Crumb

Baked High Cross and Charred Spring Onions

Tomato Shortbread, Sheep's Milk and Broccoli

Smoked Egg, Black Sesame and Fried Gram Flour*

What 1,562 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

FAQs

How is Vanilla Black restaurant rated?

Is Vanilla Black currently accepting bookings?

Not available on OpenTable

Additional information